The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus having a transverse beam for supporting knife holders and with which the individual knives may be pressed against a counter roller. The knife holders are slidably connected to the transverse beam and in the cutting position connected to the transverse beam by a clamping device cooperating with a support provided at the housing of the knife holder and comprising a movable securing member.
A cutting apparatus of the aforementioned kind is known from German Patent 23 40 804 in which individual knife holders are described as components of a cutting apparatus. As is common in the prior art, each individual knife holder is placed onto the transverse beam of the cutting apparatus and is fastened with a clamping device in its respective cutting position. The clamping device is comprised of a support provided at the housing of the knife holder which contacts a corresponding part of the transverse beam and a respective movable securing member which in cooperation with the support provides the fixation of the housing of the knife holder at the transverse beam. The movable securing member is actuated by a screw and pressed, respectively, clamped against the transverse beam.
This known knife holder has the disadvantage that the adjustment and fastening of the knife holder is complicated and is furthermore inaccurate with respect to positioning. For example, when the operator tightens the screw for clamping the movable knife holder, the operator, with his other hand, must correctly position the movable knife holder relative to the transverse beam in order to prevent lateral displacement of the knife holder while tightening the screw. Due to the tightening movement and the engaging screw, a lateral force component acts on the housing of the knife holder which, in addition, may cause the knife holder to change its previously adjusted position during the tightening step so that a change of the cutting width between individual knife holders will result.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cutting apparatus of the aforementioned kind in which the fastening of the knife holders at the transverse beam is improved such that the knife holder may be positioned with the desired accuracy in a fast and reliable manner.